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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had revealed the necessity for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised vision, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full message from the president's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to mind and reimagined the title with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce the new hire as the latest Director of the team. After several months of conversations, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having devoted the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to continue witnessing the development of the game in the time to ahead.

The President

Background of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that evolve every match. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and trust your team can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."

The game lacks an official release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as creation continues.